2 ways HIRTA and The Bus Coalition are tackling the bus crisis
Getting enough buses is more than a big city problem.
We’ve started a new series here on Transit Unplugged: Hot Topic Episodes. These are deep dives into a single issue with experts giving us their take on the problem and some ways to solve it. This week we’re talking about the bus manufacturing crisis, and especially how it’s affecting rural transit agencies.
We’ve pulled together some experts on the bus manufacturing crisis for this episode. We start off with Ed Redfern and Joel Rubin from The Bus Coalition talking about the background of the crisis and what they are trying to do to alleviate it. Next we hear from Julia Castillo and Brooke Ramsey of HIRTA (Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency)about how this largely rural agency, impacted by bus shortages and cost increases, joined with 21 agencies across the U.S. to request a Buy America waiver so they can purchase buses abroad. Finally we get the industry perspective from Patrick Scully of Complete Coach Works with some innovative solutions for getting more out of the your existing bus fleet and meeting our zero emissions targets.
Next week we have another–and related–Hot Topic: The State of Rural Transit. Paul talks with Eddie VanStine and Wendy Weedon about their agencies and the unseen challenges rural transit issues face. Big city agencies get a lot of attention, but there are thousands of rural agencies who are serving a vital role in their communities. Make sure you follow us where ever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss this great episode.
